Hi all, I searched the forums on the Mini in snow, and saw a lot of feedback from MCS owners, and not much on MC owners. I'm planning on making a trip from San Francisco to Vancouver for work at the Olympics, and have a few questions:

Does my 03 R50 have enough power to get through snowy roads? Would I need the MCS instead?

Any recommendations on snow tires?



thanks!

 

Sure you have enough power. As for tires, call Alex at Tire Rack he can set you up with a nice set of snows mounted on wheels. I'd get a 175-65-15 Blizzak WS60, very good tires.

 

Power has nothing to do with getting through snow....less hp is actually eassier to drive in the snow IMO. If you have a stick, and are used to the hills of SanF, then you should do fine, just do partical throttle starts, even 2nd gear starts, and takes it easy on the speed.
As for tires, if you have pretty new all seasons, with pleanty of tread depth, you should be fine. Snow tires are better, but not a requirement IMO. Just drive care, and keep to main and well traveled secondary roads. Have fun!
I would also check your battery....if it is older than 4 years, or out of warrenty, I might consider swapping it out.

 

I've found that on regular all-season tires, my wife's '02 R50 (on 15s) gets around better in winter than my new-to-me '04 R53 (on 17s).

I can personally recommend the R50 as a good winter car. We've had ours for almost 8 years now and have never had any problems in our midwestern winters.

Remember my basic assumption -- all season tires. If you switch to dedicated snow tires, it is a different discussion that you can read about for days and days on this board.